Bramo watched the chaotic scene on television in horror, clutching his head, jumping frantically like a monkey, shouting incessantly, his eyes filled with disbelief as he stared at Jason Bourne.
"Physical destruction is sometimes more direct."
Bramo stomped his feet angrily, shouting in frustration, "Assassination is a provocation to politics, everyone will rise up against it! It's the bottom line! It's the rule!"
As he spoke, he gave a hard shove.
"Then why doesn't Kennedy have an opinion about it?" Jason Bourne shouted back, seeing Bramo still trying to make a move, he swiftly caught his arm, twisted it, and pinned him to the bed. Their position appeared somewhat ambiguous.
"Death means failure. Survival means victory."
Bramo, pressed down on the bed, was shouting, "People outside will definitely think it was me!"
"Just deny it. Is there any evidence connecting you to his death? Besides, look..." Jason Bourne pointed at the TV, where panicked police officers soon cornered the culprit.
A bespectacled young man with freckles and an unusually pale face, who looked like a high school student, was standing on a rooftop, shouting frantically at the police below, though his words were unclear. He held an assault rifle, wildly firing.
The police naturally retaliated, gunning him down on the spot!
The body slid down from the rooftop slope and crashed heavily to the ground. A swarm of officers rushed over, emptily unloading their clips into the corpse before cuffing its lifeless wrists.
Because they feared a fake death?
"See, no evidence left." Jason Bourne whispered near his ear, "The CIA will only find out he was a mentally ill patient. Over the past three months, he made 11 visits to the doctor, had 2 incidents of violent behavior, and was an extreme Republican. That's all we need."
Upon hearing this, Bramo's struggling gradually diminished. "You guys… started setting this up three months ago??"
Jason Bourne didn't answer directly. He let go of his hand, picked up a cigarette from the floor, blew dust off the filter, and placed it back in his mouth. Taking a deep drag, his face seemed intoxicated. "With the General's help, there's nothing you need to worry about. All you need to focus on is one thing."
"How to take the Governor's seat and in what manner."
Jason Bourne gave him a piercing look, then suddenly smiled. "You should go to the hospital now and visit your opponent, sir. Even hypocritical condolences are part of humanity. Looks like we need to get you a good mentor to cultivate your public image."
"The Governor's position is your only goal?"
"The General doesn't like people without ambition." The intelligence chief patted him on the shoulder and left, leaving only his silhouette behind.
Bramo still felt a bit terrified.
Brother, I asked you to destroy him, not obliterate him.
Political assassination…
He seemed to already foresee the imminent onslaught of attacks from Democrats. Picking up his phone, he intended to call his father, but as he pressed a few digits, his hand froze. His expression twisted with hesitation before he threw the phone aside and slumped onto the bed in defeat.
Based on his understanding of his father, the latter would definitely ask him to deny everything as well.
He rushed to the bathroom to splash water on his face, then emerged, suppressing his unease, and headed straight to the hospital to visit his old rival.
Sitting in the car, he applied eye drops to himself, and once the car arrived, he was surrounded by a throng of reporters.
"Mr. Bramo, are you here at the hospital to visit Mr. Miles?"
"Mr. Bramo, does this shooting have any connection to the Republican Party or the election?"
A chaotic crowd surged forward. Even his shoes were stomped flat. Security guards worked hard to fend off the group as the reporters crazily pushed forward, nearly stuffing microphones into Bramo's mouth.
Standing on the steps, he addressed the reporters, "I am utterly shocked and saddened by this news. In a country like ours, it's unimaginable for something to happen. Though Michael is my opponent, he is also more importantly my friend. Our friendship transcends party politics!"
In the room, Jason Bourne watched Bramo's live press conference on TV and couldn't help but burst into laughter, coughing violently as he turned to those around him. "Look at him, he's born to be a politician."
The shameless audacity matches Victor to a tee. It must run in the family.
Victor also saw Bramo's performance on TV.
"The first thing a mature man must learn is how to lie." He said to George Smiley with a grin.
If you can't deceive yourself, how can you deceive others?
Like when you see a woman and tell her she's beautiful. Honestly, isn't it just to seduce her?
Could it be purely a compliment?
George Smiley raised an eyebrow and nodded. "He's as hypocritical as any politician."
Dong~ Dong Dong Dong!
The Big Ben on Mexico City's Big Cathedral tolled, signaling to the city that it was five o'clock—time to get off work.
Victor glanced at his watch. "Let's go. It's Casare's birthday today. We can't be late. Is the gift prepared?"
He spoke while closing his notebook, placing it into the drawer, locking it, throwing on his coat, and stepping out of the office.
"It's ready, a solid gold watch. Every single component, including the hour and second hands, is made of pure gold." George Smiley called for someone to bring the prepared gift box. A subordinate handed over the package.